Electric railway.



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ELECTRIC RAILWAY. APPLIOATION Hmm Nov.1s. 1902.

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No. 732,157. PATENTED JUNE 30,1903.

' A. H; BEDWORTH.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY. V

Arrmouxox FILED Nov. 1s. 1902.

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TN: mams wins so.. Puonmumo.. vmsmNc-mm o c No. 732,157. p Patented June 30, 1903.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR H. BEDWORTI-LOF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- THIRDS TO F. VEBSTER COMPANY,.OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS; NEV YORK, N. Y.; CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND LONDON, ENGLAND, A COR- PORATION OF MAINE, AND JOHN A. BEDWORTH, OF BOSTON, MASSA- CHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,157, dated June 30, 1903.

Application filed November 13, 1902. Serial No. 131,103. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may cow'b: Figure l is a diagrammatic view ot' a por- Be it known thatI, ARTHUR H. BEDWORTH, tion of an electric railway, showing the aro a citizen of the United States, residing at Bosrangement of my improved device. Fig. 2 is ton, in the county of Suioll; and State of Masan enlarged diagrammatic view of the device 5 sachusetts, have invented an Improvementin situated at each insulated section of the trol- Electric Railways, of which the following deley-wire. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of scription, in connection with the accompanythe step-by-step devices employed for throwing drawings, is a specification, like characing the insulated sections of trolley-wire into ters on the drawings representing like parts. or out from the circuit. Fig. 4 is a top plan ro Electric railways, especially single-track view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on the line railways, are frequently provided with an auc 00, Fig. 3, the pawls and contacts being omittomatic block signaling system, whereby ted. Fig. 6 is a detail of the trip I prefer to 6o when any car enters a block a signal is autouse. Fig. 7 is a modification hereinafter rematically displayed at the other end of the ferred to. Figs. S and 9 are details to be A15 block to warn a car coming in the opposite more fully hereinafter described.

direction that the block is occupied. It fre- My invention is especially applicable to a quently happens, however, thatacar will run single-track railway, and in Fig. l I have byasignal either because the motorman failed shown a section of said railway having at apto see the Signal or because he neglects to heed propriate distances suitable turnouts for the zo the same, and when such an occurrence happassing of cars, these turnouts being desigpens thedanger ot' collision is imminent. nated by a, b, and c, respectively. Thestretch It is the object of my invention to provide of track between adjacent turnouts I have 7o means wherebyit will be impossible foracar termed a block.7 Preferably the switches to enter a block if the block is occupied by a at the various turnouts will be so arranged 25 car moving in the opposite direction, and this that in moving in either direction a car will I accomplish by providing means, as hereinbe directed automatically to the right, as after described, whereby when a car enters a usual in electric-railway construction. block the power will be shut ed from a sec- The trolley-wire is designated by 3, and it tion of track at the opposite end of the block, of course is provided with turnouts corre .3o so that a car moving in the opposite direcsponding to the turnouts in the track. Each tion upon running into the said insulated or branch of the trolley-wire at each turnout is dead section of the track will be brought provided with an .insulated section 4, which 8o to a standstill because of its inability to reis normally connected with the main portion ceive any power. My mechanism also is so of the trolley-wire, the said sections being 35 constructed that when the first-named car insulated in any suitable way, as by blocks passes out of the block and the block is clear of insulating `material 5. the power is restored to thestalled car or to My invention comprises devices whereby the insulated Section of track, thus permitwhen a car passes over one branch of one ting the Said carto resume its journey. With turnout and is thus about to enter a block 4o my invention, therefore, the stopping of a car the insulated section in the opposite branch moving in one direction and before entering of the next turnout willberendered dead, a block which is occupied by a car moving in whereby a car moving in the opposite direc- 9o the opposite direction is a matter outside of tion will be stalled on said branch of the the control of the motor-man, and the danger track until the first-named car has passed 45 'due to collisions is entirely avoided. out of the block. The means I have herein Theinveution will be best explainedin conchosen to accomplish this end comprises a nection with the accompanying drawings, iu switch or a pair of normally closed contacts whichat -each end of the insulated section and operates lto close the contacts.

means operable from the end of a block at which a car enters to open the two pairs of 'contacts at one of theinsulated sections at sent two pairs of contacts, one at each end l described is as follows: Assuming a car to be movingin the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1 lthat is, from left to right-when it is about of the insulated section 4, the contacts 7 8 of the two'pairs being connected with the main portion 3'of the trolley-wire, and the contacts 6 9 being connected to the insulated portion 4. When the contacts are closed, as shown in Fig. 2, the insulated section 4 is in circuit with the main port-ion 3 of the trolleywire,and the current in traversing the trolleywire passes through the contacts and through the insulated section, which is thus rendered alive. This arrangement exists at each of the insulated sections. At the appropriate times the contacts at any insulated section 4 are opened by some suitable means, thus insulatingthe said section, the means herein represented being cams 10, one for each of the pairs of contacts which are adapted to engage the movable contacts of the pairs of contacts. Each cam is rendered operative automatically by the passing of a car over one of' the branches of the next adjacent turnout, and one way of accomplishing this will-now be described. Since the cam-operating mechanism for each cam is the same, it Willsuice to describe that for a single cam only. Each cam is shown as being carried on a shaft 12, on which are the oppositelydisposed ratchets 13 and 14. The ratchets are operated by magnets 15 and 16, respectively, for which purpose the armatures 17 and 18 of said magnets are provided with suitable pa-wl mechanism so arranged that when the magnets arejenergized the ratchets are turned. As herein: shown, the magnet 16 is the one which operates to open the contacts, while the magnet 15 is the one which The cam is so arranged that normally the end of the contact lies in the low portion 19 thereof; but when the magnet 16 is energized the cam is rotatedv one step, and the rise 2O thereon by its engagement with Vthe contact 6 forces the same away from the contact 7.

A pawl-and-ratchet mechanism such as above described is employed foreach pair of contacts, and there are therefore two such mechanisms for each insulated section of trolley-wire, one at each end thereof. i

The various magnets 15 16 are in circuits hereinafter described, which include some suitable trip devices capable of being operated bythe trolley, one form of which is illustrated in Fig. 6. In said figure the trip t, which is adapted to be engaged by the trolley-wheel, is electrically connected with the trolley-wire, and when moved in the direction ot' the arrow by the trolley wheel it closes against a contact 22, which is insulated from the trolley-wire and which connects with a wire 23, leading to the appropriate magnet. When the contacts t and 22 are closed, current from the main conductor or trolley-wire 3 will pass through. the magnet, which is connected to the ground or return wire, and the magnet will be momentarily energized.

The operation of my mechanismas above to pass out of the lower branch of the turnout at a. it engages a trip similar in all respects to that shown in Fig. 6 and designated by t, thereby momentarily closing the circuit 23 and energizing the magnets 16 at 1 each end of the insulatedsection4 on the opposite branch of turnout l), whereby the contacts at each end ofsaid insulated section are opened and the section rendered dead.

, If now a car moving in the opposite direction runs i'nto the turnout b, it will be stalled or p held in said turnout because ofV its inability to get power to proceed so long as the car :first mentioned is occupying the block between the turnouts ct and b. When said firstmentioned car leaves the block and enters the l lower branch or turnout it engages a trip device t4 similar to that shown inV Fig. 6,

` which closes the circuit through wire 24 and j magnets 15 to the ground g, thus energizing i said magnets l5 and again allowing the contacts at each endl of the dead section at the turnout b to close.

When this occurs, the car which has been stalled can receive power l and proceed on its way, while the first-mentioned car passes through the turnout b, and

l as it leaves the latter engages a second.i trip -t, which i'n the manner already described renders dead the insulated section 4 in the opposite branch of turnout c. Cars moving in the opposite direction, or from right to` left, operate in a similar manner to render dead or alive the insulated? sections in the opposite For instance, if a car is moving toward the left branches of the next preceding turnout.

and moving out of the turnoutl c it engages a 4 trip t2, which momentarily closes the circuit 26, including the magnets 16, at the insulated section 4 on the opposite branch of the turn'- out b, and thus renders said insulated section dead. As the said car emerges from the said t tutes the main conductor, and in order not to break the main circuit when any one insulated section of track is rendered dead I-will preferably provide at each insulated section a shunt-circuit 30, which extends around the insulated section and through which the'current passes when the insulated section is dead. This maintains the continuity of the' IOO circuit, so that cars at different points of the line are not affected by the insulating of any one insulated section. In the form of myinvention shown in Fig. 2 the shunt-circuit 30 is always closed, and as a consequence when the insulatedy section 4 is alive the current would split between the twocircuits 4 and 30. If desired, I may provide the shunt-circuit 30 with contacts which are automatically opened when the contacts 6 7 and El` 9 are closed, and vice versa. In such event whenever any insulated section 4 is dead the current is shunted around said section through the wire 30; but when the section 4 is alive the shunt-section 30 is broken. The full current therefore either passes through the trolley-wire section 4 or the shunt-circuit 30. Fig. 7 illustrates how this may be accornplished. 3l indicates a piece of insulating material in the wire 30, and the said wire on each side of said insulating material is connected to normally open contacts 33 34. The contact 34 may be operated by the contact 6, and I have herein shown the latter contact as `having a block of insulating material 35,

the contacts 6 7 are opened, as above de' scribed, and the contact 6 byits engagement with the contact 34 closes the latter against 33, and thereby closes the shunt-circuit. Any other suitable means for shunting the current from the section 4 to the circuit 30 may be employed, however, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

It will be noted that the contact-operating mechanism I employ is a step-by-step device, so that each time that the trip t is operated the cam 10 will be advanced one step. If, therefore, four or any other number of cars follow one another into any block, the cam controlling the contacts at the insulated section at the turnout at the end of the block will be advanced a number of steps equal to the number of cars which have passed into the block. Obviously the contacts cannot be closed to thus render alive again the insulated section 4 until the cam has been moved backwardly the same number of steps that it was moved forwardly, and this will not be accomplished until the trip t4 has been operated a number of times equal to the number of cars which passed into the block.V My invention, therefore, is one in which the insulated section of trolley-wire remains dead so long as any car is in the block and is only rendered alive when all the cars, however many, have passed out of the block. This I consider as quite important.

As electric cars are now commonly built the lights and the heating apparatus are operated bycurrent taken from the trolley-wire. It will be apparent that when such a car is stalled on a dead portion of track the lights in the car will go out and the heating apparatus will receive no current. To enable the lights to be maintained and the heating device to be operated while the car is stalled, I will preferably employ suitable mechanism whereby the lights and heating apparatus may be operated from current taken from the shuntcircuit 30, whereby when a caris stalled the motor cannot be operated, but the lights and heating apparatus are not rendered inoperative. Any suitable means may be employed to accomplish this, and I have herein shown the trolley-arm 40 as having a supplemental arm 41, carrying a trolley-wheel adapted to contact with the shunt wire 30, which in practice will be situated comparatively close to the insulated portion 4. A separate conductor 42 extends from the supplemental arm 4l to the switch-point 43 of a four-point switch, the point 44 being connected to the heating apparatus 46 and the lights 45. Of the other points 47 and 4S of the switch one connects directly to the motor m and the other to the heating apparatus and lights. Normally the switch-plate 49 will connect the points 47 48; but when the car runs onto an insulated section of track and thelights go out the motorman or conductor will throw the switch plate to connect points 43 44, whereby current from the shunt-circuit 30 may be taken through the heating apparatus and used for lighting purposes. The motor, however, being in circuit with the insulated section of trolley-wire can receive no power until such insulated section is rendered alive.

The step-by-step device and the magnets maybe supported in any suitable position either directly on the trolley-wire itself or on a suitable support at the side of the track. I have herein shown them as carried by the trolley-wire. For this purpose the magnets will be suitably supported upon a block 5l, of insulating material, which will in turn be carried by the trolley-Wire 3, and the contacts 6 and 7 will be suitably secured to said block 51. When this construction is employed, it will be understood that suitable guy-wires are used to hold the block 5l in an upright position.

The shaft 12,-carrying the step-by-stepdevice, is shown as being supported in a suitable bracket 52, and while any suitable pawl mechanism may be employed I prefer to em- IOO ploy one which will prevent the ratchet from overrunning, thus insuring an absolute stepby-step movement. armature has pivoted thereto a pawl 56, having a nose 57 to engage the teeth of the ratchet and also a tail 58, which is adapted to be brought into engagement with the back side of a ratchet-tooth to thus prevent the ratchet fromoverrunning. Suitable springs 60 op- As herein shown, each i erate to restore thearmatures, and consequently the pawls, to their normal position, i

and, if desired, Imay employ suitable stops 6l for limiting the outward movement of the armatures. It is sometimes desirable to provide a brake device to prevent the cam, and

consequently the ratchets, from being pulledl backwardly with the pawl when the latter is withdrawn, and hence I have illustrated a friction-brake 7 3 for thisl purpose. These details of construction of the pawl-and-ratchet mechanism are, however, such as come within theprovince of the mechanic and do not form a vital part of my invention, and they may therefore bevaried in various wayswithout departing from my invention as set forth in the'appended claims.

While I have hereinshown an automatic mechanism for accomplishing the result tomatic devices and, if desired, I may make the system a manually-operated one. In this case the trips t would be placed in someconvenient position for the motorman or conductor to operate, and reliance would have to be placed upon the latter to properly manipulate the trips upon enteringor leaving a block. I prefer, however, to employ the automatic system for obvious. reasons.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*- 1. An electric railway divided into blocks,

and means whereby the passing of a car into av block insulates a section of the trolley-wire at the other end of the block, said means operating tomaintain the said section insulated until said car and any following car or cars have passed out of the block.

2. An electric railway divided into blocks, and means whereby the passing of a car into'a block from either direction insulates a section of the trolley-wire at the opposite end of the block, said means operating to maintain the said section insulated until said car and any following car or cars have passed out of.

the block.

3. An electric railway divided into blocks,

and means whereby the passing of a car into a block insulates a portion of the trolley-wire at the other end of the block, said means including a step-by-step device whereby if a plurality of cars follow each other into the block the said section will remain insulated until all of the cars have passed out of the block.

4. In an electric railway, a trolley-wire provided with turnouts and having an insulated section in each branch of each turnout, said trolley-wire constituting a main conductor, aud means whereby the moving of a trolley or equivalent device over a branch of one turnout will render dead the insulated section in one of the branches of thenext turnout.

5. In an electric railway, a trolley-wire provided with turnouts and having an insulated section in each branch of each turnout, said trolley-wire constituting a main conductor, means whereby the moving of a trolley or equivalent device over a branch of one turnl out will render dead the insulated section in l one of the branches of the next turnout, and

means whereby the moving of said trolley or :other device over the other branch of said .last-named turnout will render alive again the dead section at said turnout.

6. An electric railway divided into. blocks and havinga trolley-wire provided with an iny sulated section at one end of each block, normally closed contacts electrically connecting each end of each insulated section to the main portion of the trolley-wire, and means oper- -ated by a car entering a block to open the contacts at each end of the insulated section I at the opposite end of the block. aimed at, my invention is not limited to au- Y,

'7. An electric railway divided into blocks and having atrolley-wire provided withl an insulated section at each end of each block, nor- 1, mally closed contacts electrically connecting each end of each insulated section to the main I. portion of the trolley-wire, and means operated by a car entering a block from either direction to open the contacts at the opposite v end of the block.v

8. An electric railway divided into blocks and having a trolley-wire provided with an-insulated section at one end of each block, norl mally closed contacts. electrically connecting each end of each insulated section. to the main portion of the trolley-wire, means operated by aA car entering a block to open the contacts ateach end of the insulated section at the opposite end of the block, and means operated by a car leaving said block toclose 1 said contacts.

9. An electric railway divided into blocks and having a trolley-wire provided with an insulated section at each end of each block, normally closed contacts electrically connecting each end of each insulated section to the main portion of the trolley-wire, means operated by a car entering the block from either direction to open the contacts at the opposite end of the block, and vmeans operated by the car leaving said block to close said contacts.

1(1). An electric railway divided into blocks and having a trolley-wire provid ed with an insulated section at one end of each block, norp mally closed contacts electrically connecting each end of each insulated section to the main portion of the trolley wire, and automatic means to open or close simultaneously the contacts at each end of any insulated section,

said means including step-by-step devices.

11. An electric railway divided into blocks, and means operable from one end of the block to insulate asection of the trolley-wire at the other end of thc block, such means including a step-by-step device whereby if aA plurality of cars follow each other into the block the said section of trolley-wire will remain innsulated until all the cars have passed out of the block.

l2. An electric railway divided into blocks and having a trolley-wire provided with an insulated section at one end of each block, normally closed contacts electrically connecting IOS ITO

each end of each insulated section to the main portion of the trolley-wire and means operable from one end of the block to open the contacts at each end of the insulated section at the opposite end of the block.

13. In an electric railway,a trolley-Wire provided with an insulated section, means including a car-operated trip to render said section dead as a car approaches said section, said means operating to maintain the section dead so long as said car or any following it remains on the stretch between the trip and the insulated section.

14. A system comprising a single-track electric railway divided into blocks by turnouts, and automatic mechanism controlled by a ARTHUR H. BEDWORTH.

Witnesses:

LOUIS C. SMITH, JOHN C. EDWARDS. 

